Should the Calder Trophy age restriction be eliminated?

[LadyStanley]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nhl/news/20130311/calder-trophy-race/index.html

It's time for the NHL to repeal the Makarov Rule and make first-year players who are 26 or older eligible for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
...
The Makarov Rule is named for Sergei Makarov, a highly decorated right wing, three-time MVP and 10-time All-Star of the Soviet Championship league while playing for CSKA, the Red Army team. He also compiled a magnificent international resume as well. For nearly a decade while skating with Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov, Makarov may have been part of the best forward line in the world, and he was in the first wave of Soviet players who were allowed to come to the NHL.
...
But today the rule is obsolete. Excluding all first year players who are 26 and over is a relic of a time gone by. No one disputes that the NHL is the best league in the world and any first year player who comes from Europe now really must make a step up to succeed, which was not necessarily the case in Makarov's day.

So, should players be eliminated from consideration of award (and the bonuses they get from contracts and/or league post season $$s) if they are older than 26?

Click to read more...

 

[DL44]

No...

IMO, it goes against the spirit of the award which is to reward the best young player in the league in their debut season...

The Markov rule is actually more important today than it was when it was implimented due to the fact that leagues around the world have been gaining in overall quality over they yrs..

Pro seasons vs men are pro seasons...

Altho they are in their debut seasons in the NHL, the significant number of pro seasons flies in the face of the spirit of the award in my opinion...
The age restriction is fine...

I actually think it should be lower.

 

[Seattle Totems]

They absolutely should not change the rule. Ideally they should lower the age requirement to 24 or lower. The Calder trophy should go to a player that has little to no professional experience. Giving it to a guy that has played 7+ years of college and pro and has ten kids and wife is ridiculous. Rookie should mean a young player that is totally green.

 

[Tough Guy]

No. 25 and under is perfect.

 

[David Dennison]

No...

IMO, it goes against the spirit of the award which is to reward the best young player in the league in their debut season...

The Markov rule is actually more important today than it was when it was implimented due to the fact that leagues around the world have been gaining in overall quality over they yrs..

Pro seasons vs men are pro seasons...

Altho they are in their debut seasons in the NHL, the significant number of pro seasons flies in the face of the spirit of the award in my opinion...
The age restriction is fine...

I actually think it should be lower.

Yeah, its is an insignificant issue. Brunner just turned 27 the other day, is he ineligible too, or is it from your birthday at the beginning of the season? N. Backstrom is the only other guy I can think of this rule affecting. Goalies have always been at a disadvantage regarding this rule.

Aside from Makarov in the last 40 years, the oldest players to win the Calder have been Belfour (25), Esposito (26), Nabakov (25), Ken Dryden (24), and Petr Stasny (24). All the others were 23 or younger. There hasnt been a winner that was older than 21 since the 05 lockout.

Maybe leave it at 26 or go to 27 for goalies and 24 or 25 for skaters.

 

[Price is Wright]

Wouldn't Victor Fasth be running away with the Calder if they repealed the restriction?

 

[DrVanntastic]

What really needs to be changed is the asinine games played restriction.

 

[cheswick]

If they eliminate the age restriction they should enforce the restriction to do with games played in a "major professional league". As far as I can tell the only league they ever considered a major professional league besides the NHL was the WHA .

Players can play in the KHL for a number of seasons and still be considered for the Calder.

 

[Wingsfan2965*]

Wouldn't Victor Fasth be running away with the Calder if they repealed the restriction?

It'd be a horse race between him and Brunner.

 

[Oobz]

To me Brunner is anything but a "rookie". Yea first season in the NHL but the guy has been lighting it up in the Swiss league for a while. Hardly a "rookie" at all.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Yeah, its is an insignificant issue. Brunner just turned 27 the other day, is he ineligible too, or is it from your birthday at the beginning of the season? N. Backstrom is the only other guy I can think of this rule affecting. Goalies have always been at a disadvantage regarding this rule.

Aside from Makarov in the last 40 years, the oldest players to win the Calder have been Belfour (25), Esposito (26), Nabakov (25), Ken Dryden (24), and Petr Stasny (24). All the others were 23 or younger. There hasnt been a winner that was older than 21 since the 05 lockout.

Maybe leave it at 26 or go to 27 for goalies and 24 or 25 for skaters.

Brunner is not eligible.

Howard probably could have beaten Myers a few years ago, remember that being at least a decently tight race.

Goalies take longer to get there and have the additional year of AHL eligibility. I am curious they changed some of the rules on drafting rights with Europeans if I remember right so that could impact this as well. It really isn't a big issue, but if the NHL does want to control pay and cap hits with rookie status when these guys come over they should probably treat them like full on rookies.

In most years if this got tight, they would go with the younger guy anyway. Assuming he comes over though Evgeny Kuznetsov's year is probably going to be a laugher. He will have been a pro hockey player, Olympian and pretty much believed to be a top 50 player in the world for several years before being a "rookie" in the NHL.

I always wondered if Zetterberg was penalized for being a SEL champion, SEL MVP, a two time World Championship participant and Olympian all before even suiting up in the NHL had on his race?

You have to believe some voters would simply not consider certain players and it does already have an impact on the outcome of these votes.

 

[tony d]

No, it's find the way it is. Give the award to a professional rookie not a guy who was pretty good in another professional league.

 

[Zombie Mike Murphy]

What if you did away with the "major league" qualifier and just chained it to salary? E.g. if you play anywhere and receive compensation equal to at least 50% of the NHL league minimum = not eligible for the Calder. That would eliminate most of the KHL (but not e.g. 3rd/4th liners or backup goalies), and also rule out maybe the top 25% or so in leagues like the SEL.

 

[kmad]

It'd be a horse race between him and Brunner.

I'd put money on Huberdeau..

 

[saskganesh]

It hasn't been fine since 1979. Gretzky did not win purely out of spite. Kudos to Makarov, who won before they could change the rules on him.

 

[mouser]

To me Brunner is anything but a "rookie". Yea first season in the NHL but the guy has been lighting it up in the Swiss league for a while. Hardly a "rookie" at all.

Agreed, Brunner is an excellent example why the Calder age limit should be retained. Here's a guy who was 1st, 8th and 4th in scoring in the Swiss League A the prior three seasons. If he had been in an NHL team farm system earlier he would have most likely have already appeared in enough NHL games to make him ineligible for the Calder this year.

 

[Seattle Totems]

so.... essentially no one agrees with the article.

 

[Djp]

I think MLB changed the rule in response after Ichiro Suzuki won it for the Mariners after playing some 10 yrs in Japan.

I am fine with it being 25 and under (or based on the year they could be drafted). I would eliminate players who say played 4 pro seasons in the elite european leagues.

 

[RandR]

so.... essentially no one agrees with the article.

An age limit is the way to go.